Written Answers Tuesday 2 November 2010

Scottish Executive

Antisocial Behaviour

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its news release of 31 August 2010, Clampdown on "party flats", what steps have been taken to introduce a Scottish Statutory Instrument to make it easier for local authorities to issue antisocial behaviour notices to owners of such flats.

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its news release of 31 August 2010, Clampdown on "party flats", on what date it will introduce a Scottish Statutory Instrument to strengthen legislation aimed at addressing problems with such flats.

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its news release of 31 August 2010, Clampdown on "party flats", what form of Scottish Statutory Instrument it will introduce to strengthen legislation aimed at addressing problems with such flats.

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its news release of 31 August 2010, Clampdown on "party flats", what work has been undertaken with local authorities and agencies to prepare for the proposed changes to Part 7 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004.

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its news release of 31 August 2010, Clampdown on "party flats", what correspondence ministers have had with local authorities and agencies regarding the proposed changes to Part 7 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Government is committed to introducing a Scottish Statutory Instrument (SSI) by the end of this Parliament that will amend Part 7 of the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 (the Act), making it easier for local authorities to issue antisocial behaviour notices to owners of party flats and bring a case to court with the improved prospect of a successful verdict. Development of this approach is being assisted by ongoing dialogue with City of Edinburgh Council officials.

  Once a draft SSI has been prepared, the proposed approach will be shared with Lothian and Borders Police, and City of Edinburgh Council. The SSI will be laid under the order making power within section 68(6) of the Act, which allows the provisions of the Act to be modified to suit the circumstances of holiday lets. This order making power is subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.

  Local authorities are only expected to apply this legislation in a small number of cases, and to date reaction from stakeholders has been positive. In view of the limited and technical nature of the proposals it is not intended to carry out a full public consultation. However, Community Safety Partnerships, the Scottish Tourism Forum, and Visitscotland will be advised of the proposed change to the legislation.

Firearms

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether chief constables in Scotland must have regard to guidance issued by the Home Secretary to forces in England and Wales regarding the weapons that may be used by police officers.

Kenny MacAskill: The Home Office (2003) Code of Practice on Police Use of Firearms and Less Lethal Weapons is binding on police forces in England and Wales and is also applied by police forces in Scotland. The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) voluntarily complied with the code by publishing, in 2004, a statement of intent on police use of firearms and less lethal weapons. The police use of firearms in the operational context is governed by the manual of guidance on the management, command and deployment of armed officers. This document is produced by the National Policing Improvement Agency which is issued by the Home Office and endorsed by ACPOS.

Firearms

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any police forces in Scotland use the X12 Taser weapon.

Kenny MacAskill: Our understanding is that no Scottish police force has used or trialled the X12 Taser.

Firearms

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would consider a decision by a chief constable to issue the X12 Taser weapon to frontline officers as an operational decision.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether chief constables in Scotland would require ministerial approval to issue the X12 Taser weapon to frontline officers.

Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-36631 on 21 October 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

Fuel Poverty

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-36525 by Alex Neil on 4 October 2010, what the (a) earliest and (b) latest date of referral was of the 15,066 applications to Stage Four of the Energy Assistance Package.

Alex Neil: The Energy Assistance Package was introduced on 6 April 2009. This is when the first applications to Stage 4 were received by the Energy Saving Trust. These were forwarded by the Energy Saving Trust to Scottish Gas on 22 April 2009. The last referrals for that year were created on 30 March 2010, and sent to Scottish Gas on 31 March 2010.

Fuel Poverty

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out research regarding fuel poverty and rural communities without access to the gas network.

Alex Neil: The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) is the largest single housing research project in Scotland. The survey samples around 3,000 households each year and provides key statistics about the occupied housing stock in Scotland. The survey consists of two parts, a social survey and a physical survey. This allows us to look at the physical condition of Scotland’s homes as well as the experiences of householders.

  In 2008 (the latest SHCS data available) 3,015 households were surveyed, 680 of these households were situated in rural areas. Fuel poverty estimates as well as whether the dwelling is on or off the gas grid is available from this survey.

Fuel Poverty

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives it has taken to tackle rural fuel poverty in areas without access to the gas network.

Alex Neil: From April 2009, with the introduction of the Energy Assistance Package, we have for the first time included solid wall insulation and air source heat pumps in the measures available through the fuel poverty programme. We have raised the maximum grant for individual installations under the Energy Assistance Package to £6,500; measures which are of particular benefit to people in rural areas.

  We have allocated £25 million this financial year to ensure that area-based home insulation schemes providing free or discounted loft and cavity wall insulation are available in every local authority area in Scotland, including rural locations. The installation of the energy efficiency measures available are leading to reductions in fuel bills of around £50 per annum for householders. In addition, one local authority will use its successful bid for Scottish Government funding under the universal home insulation scheme to connect over 500 village properties to the gas grid.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether GPs can refer patients to chiropractors paid for by the NHS.

Nicola Sturgeon: Where NHS boards have commissioned the services of chiropractors for NHS patients, then GPs are able to refer patients to those chiropractors under the NHS, according to agreed referral protocols between the NHS boards and healthcare professionals.

Immigration

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-36452 by Fiona Hyslop on 30 September 2010, whether it considers an in-house review of existing research and statistical evidence an adequate measure to assess and explore the factors affecting the decisions of both immigrants and emigrants.

Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government considers the in-house review to be sufficient in the current financial climate. The review found that across existing studies, labour market opportunities emerged as the key driver of migration and settlement decisions for all migrant groups, with lifestyle factors and place attractiveness as important secondary factors. This consistency suggests that while data availability is limited, there is no immediate need to commission further work at this time. The Scottish Government will continue to monitor emerging evidence and may commission further work in future. The existing in-house review will be published early in 2011.

Immigration

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3M-36440 by Fiona Hyslop on 30 September 2010, whether it has had face to face meetings with representatives of the UK Government; what written representations have been made to the UK Government, and what response has been received.

Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to S3W-36440 in relation to the written representations that were made to the UK Government to which a response was received on 22 October 2010. Discussions at Ministerial level are continuing and in addition to this Scottish Government officials met with officials from the UK Government on 11 August 2010 and on 28 October 2010 to discuss the need for a different approach to the annual limit on migration to be taken in Scotland. The Scottish Government also facilitated a joint Scottish Stakeholder meeting with COSLA on 16 August 2010 at which UK Government representatives were present to hear the views of stakeholders from across Scotland on the proposed annual limit on immigration.

Justice

James Kelly (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Sentencing Council will commence work.

Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-36670 on 25 October 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Justice

James Kelly (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the costs of (a) setting up and (b) running the Scottish Sentencing Council.

Kenny MacAskill: The detailed estimated costings for the setting up and the running of the Scottish Sentencing Council are provided in the Explanatory Notes for the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill. Pages 93 to 95 of the Explanatory Notes provide the costings and can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/bills/24-CrimJustLc/b24s3-introd-en.pdf

  As per the Explanatory Notes, the estimated setting up costs for the Scottish Sentencing Council are £450,000 and the estimated running costs for the Scottish Sentencing Council are £1,100,000 per annum.

National Health Service

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timeline is for its consultation on the review of the control of entry arrangements.

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the next stage is with regard to its consultation on the review of the control of entry arrangements for inclusion on the NHS Pharmaceutical List.

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will seek a debate in the Parliament on the findings of its consultation on the review of the control of entry arrangements for inclusion on the NHS Pharmaceutical List.

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timeline will be for making changes to the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2009 following its consultation on the review of the control of entry arrangements for inclusion on the NHS Pharmaceutical List.

Shona Robison: The Scottish Government published the consultation document Applications to provide NHS Pharmaceutical Services - Review of the Control of Entry Arrangements on 22 March 2010. The consultation closed on 14 June 2010 and 142 responses were received. 122 respondents gave permission for their responses to be published, and these responses were made available on 16 July 2010 on the Scottish Government website at:

  www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/07/12155630/0.

  The responses have now been considered, and our report was published on 20 October 2010 and sent to all respondents. The report, which can be found on the Scottish Government website at www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/10/20143448/0, sets out our intentions to amend the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2009 in a number of areas. We intend to lay amendment Regulations before the Parliament for its consideration prior to the end of the year.

Police

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Justice has received a report from the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) regarding the future of Scotland’s forensic services and when he will make an announcement regarding this matter.

Kenny MacAskill: I have received a recommendation from the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) and will announce my decision later this year. This will include an explanation of the reasons why that decision was reached, along with the publication of the SPSA’s recommendations and any other representations received.

Police

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Justice will make a statement to the Parliament regarding the future of Scotland’s forensic services following receipt of the report from the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA).

Kenny MacAskill: I have received a recommendation from the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA), which I am currently considering. I will not make a statement to the Parliament at this time regarding this matter, but will announce my decision later this year with openness and transparency, including an explanation of the reasons why that decision was reached, along with the publication of the SPSA’s recommendations and any other representations received.

Police

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Justice will visit the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) facilities in Aberdeen and Edinburgh prior to reaching a decision regarding their future.

Kenny MacAskill: I have no plans to visit the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) facilities in Aberdeen and Edinburgh prior to making my decision. However, I am aware that SPSA staff were consulted on the options and the views received from them will help to inform my decision.

Vaccinations

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the uptake of the flu vaccination by at-risk groups was in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009.

Shona Robison: Vaccination uptake over the past three years for people under the age of 65 in an at-risk group is shown in the following table. For 2007-08 these figures are based on the estimated monthly vaccine uptake returns submitted to Health Protection Scotland (HPS) (2007-08) from all GP practices. For 2008-09 and 2009-10 figures are based on weekly estimated vaccine uptake data from the practices who report as part of the Gpass reporting system.

  Seasonal Flu Vaccine Uptake for the Last Three years in At-Risk Groups Under the Age of 65

  

Year
2007-08 *
2008-09 #
2009-10 #


Uptake Rate in Under 65s At-Risk
44.4%
48.5%
53.3%



  Notes:

  * Surveillance data to end of December of the vaccination season – monthly estimate

  # Surveillance data to the end of March of the vaccination season – weekly estimate

  Source: HPS monthly vaccine uptake returns (2007-08, 2008-09) and Pandemic Influenza Primary Care Reporting scheme (PIPeR) (2009-10).

Vaccinations

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the uptake of the flu vaccination by NHS staff was in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009.

Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally as seasonal flu vaccination of NHS staff is the responsibility of individual employers. However a study carried out in 2002 suggested that the level of vaccination uptake amongst health workers was around 20% on average. This is likely to be significantly higher in some areas, such as paediatrics.